Tale of the Body Switch
by Kitiara-d
Summary: What happens when Orphen & Co. discover a strange object in the middle of a forest...


All SS Orphen characters belong to Yoshinobu Akita & Yuya Kusaka. However this story belongs to ME!  
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Ah, I'm tired! Can't we take a break?" Creao complained loudly.   
Her shrill voice echoed in the forest they were crossing and grated on his nerves. As usual Orphen decided to ignore her. As usual this had a different effect from the one desired.   
Creao stopped on her tracks and stomped her foot.   
"That it! I'm not taking another step further!" she stated.   
Orphen kept walking. After a moment Majic followed him.   
"Shouldn't we wait for her?" the boy wondered, looking back.   
"She'll follow us shortly" the sorcerer told him with confidence.   
"But..."   
"Besides, she's only a spoiled brat. We'd be better off without her anyway"   
A menacing shadow advanced toward him. Majic got out of its way with a choked sound.   
Ignorant of the danger he was in, Orphen continued his tirade listing all Creao's flaws with gusto.   
Majic tried warning him, he really did but he could only watch helplessly as the storm grew bigger.   
"... don't you agree with me, Majic? Majic?" Finally noticing something was wrong, Orphen turned around and met the furious eyes of the devil. He blanched.   
"So that's what you really think of me, uh?? So I'm a dead weight, huh?? What about all the help I've been??"   
Orphen took an involuntary step back.   
  
Five minutes later Creao clapped her hands clean and shouldered her backpack.   
"Come along, Reki" She hummed happily, the little pup bouncing joyfully after her.   
"You really should watch what you say" Majic advised, giving Orphen a hand up.   
The sorcerer groaned, bringing a hand to his pain-filled head and glared at the girl's back.   
"But I guess she doesn't need a break now"   
An exclamation of surprise caught their immediate attention. The two men hurriedly caught up with her and stopped on their tracks.   
The ancient ruins on a civilization appeared before their eyes. Crumbled walls were covered with patches of green here and there as the forest slowly swallowed it. A soft breeze stirred, lifting a small cloud of dust. Not a sound was to be heard besides the birds singing and a curse.   
A curse?   
Orphen sighed heavily with exasperation.   
"What are you guys doing here??"   
Two midgets were laboriously dragging a heavy bag twice their size across the remains of a street. When they noticed the three they stopped their work, to one's fatigue's relief.   
"Argh! The hated soul-eating enemy!" Vulcan yelled, pointing a menacing finger at him "This is mine! All mine! You won't get a drop! I was here first!"   
Creao turned to the brain of the two with whom one could have a normal conversation.   
"How'd you end up here?"   
"Searching for lost treasures, what else? And getting lost ourselves in the process" Dortin explained, watching his brother's antics.   
"Lost treasure? Here?" She eyed the place doubtfully.   
Dortin shrugged "He thinks so"   
Orphen put a hand on a fallen statue examine it with interest, totally ignoring the little man's threats.  
"Uhm... guess we'll spend the night here" he informed his companions.   
Creao jumped up with joy.   
Majic proceeded to find a suitable place to break camp.   
  
"Reki! Don't go there, come back!" Creao followed the little pup as it entered a building.   
She caught up with it and gathered it in her arms, scolding it gently.   
Then she surveyed the place. Something caught her eye.   
Darkness swallowed her.   
  
"I wonder where Creao went?"   
Orphen shrugged without interrupting his meal.   
"She'll come when she's hungry"   
Majic eyed him doubtfully and watched as the sun slowly set and no Creao appeared.   
"I'm going to look for her" he said, getting up.   
"Suit yourself"   
  
"Creao? Where are you?"   
His voice came back to him, bouncing off empty walls. Majic was seriously getting worried. He'd checked every building but one without finding trace of the missing girl. If he didn't find her here, he'd go back to get Orphen, he decided.   
"I wonder what this is, huh Reki?"   
"Creao! I've been looking all over for you!"   
She turned around, startled.   
"Oh, hi Majic"   
He sighed. So much for consideration. Then looked at what had caught her interest.   
"What is it?"   
"I have no idea"   
He inspected the strange object in the middle of the room. It was made of something similar to marble and shaped like an anvil with a handle on each side.   
Without thinking he grabbed hold of it.   
There was a startled cry, a blinding flash of light, then nothing.   
  
Majic shook his pain-filled head to clear it. Little stars danced in his vision. He felt decidedly strange but whole, he decided.   
"My hair! What happened to my hair!" a voice cried out.   
He blinked. Closed his eyes. Looked again.   
What was his body doing over there when he was here?   
He looked at himself. His chest had suddenly grown two strange protuberances. And why was he wearing Creao's clothes?   
Light dawned.   
ARGHhhh!!!   
  
"... and this is what happened..." Majic concluded sadly.   
Shortly after the flash, Orphen had found them in the building trying to make sense of what happened.  
"Ah! Get me out of this body!" Creao wailed.   
Reki was eyeing her diffidently, looking from one to the other.   
While the sorcerer tried to decipher the writings on the object that had caused this mess.   
He scratched his head.   
"Well, the good news is that it's not permanent... (Creao's eyes light up)... the bad news is I don't know how long it'll last"   
Creao's hope crashed.   
Majic sighed with resignation.   
"Can't you do anything??" Creao demanded.   
"Nope. Tenji magic" Orphen said, resuming his interrupted meal.   
"So much for the Great Sorcerer!"   
He ignored her snide remark.   
  
"Why do I have to carry this??" Creao demanded eyeing the heavy bag.   
"Because you're a man now" Orphen stated the obvious.   
Majic was having a hard time walking with the skirt getting between his bare legs and the high heels. The long hair was a pain as well but when he'd suggested cutting it, Creao had almost had a fit.   
She angrily picked up the bag and stomped away.   
Orphen eyed her with a funny expression on his face. Majic realized the sorcerer was holding back laughter.   
"Look at her, Majic! She can't even walk straight!" he choked looking at his pupil. His eyes widened. He fell over laughing, rolling on the ground.   
Majic looked at him helplessly. It was going to be a long day.   
  
They'd finally reached a town all in one piece and gotten rooms for the night.   
A good bath was what she needed right now, Creao decided.   
She started changing when her reflection caught her eye. She groaned looking at the mirror.   
How long would she have to live like this??   
She managed to survive emptying her bladder which was such a gross affair which had took her a while to figure out but damned if she was going to ask those two how things worked! She still couldn't get the awful feel of holding that... thing... from her hands. How men managed, even walking with a sack between their legs was a mystery and one she fervently hoped she wouldn't have to live with for the rest of her life.   
Well, Orphen had assured her this wasn't permanent and she wished it to end quickly.   
  
"It's not too bad" Majic reluctantly admitted.   
"Yeah. And when will you ever get to have a woman's body this close?" the sorcerer agreed, watching his pupil in drag.   
"Think what we could do with it"   
Majic didn't like the evil gleam in his mentor's eyes.   
"Do what with what??" demanded an angry voice.   
"Oh, hi Creao"   
She was getting better at sneaking up on them. Which was fortunate for him now, Majic thought. He really didn't want to find out what Orphen had in mind with that last remark.   
"I'm ready for a well deserved bath!" Creao stated happily.   
  
"These are public baths" the woman told them, blocking their entrance.   
"So?"   
"They're divided"   
"Of course they are" Creao cheerfully agreed, trying to get past her.   
"Men go with me, women with women"   
Light finally dawned.   
She shrieked, blanching.   
"Well, so long. Enjoy your bath!" With that Orphen entered the building.   
Creao looked uncertainly from one door to the other. And made up her mind. She angrily stomped after him.   
Majic helplessly looked at their retreating backs.   
"Miss? Please, this way" the woman smiled at him.   
He smiled back. Now he was in trouble.   
  
Creao stopped on her tracks.   
This was decidedly NOT a sight for a well brought up young lady.   
Men everywhere, men undressing, men washing, men NAKED!   
She blanched then blushed furiously, frozen on the spot.   
"Well? Coming?" Orphen called.   
She turned and her eyes widened more. He'd taken off his robe and stood comfortably bare in his glory.   
He walked into the common tub and settled in the water with a sigh, watching her with veiled eyes.  
Creao really didn't know what to do. But since she'd come this far, she might as well go through with it. She recognized a challenge when she saw one.   
She took a deep breath.   
  
Majic stopped on his tracks. This was decidedly a sight that every young man dreamed of at least once in his life. Women everywhere, women undressing, women washing, women NAKED!   
He blanched. Felt blood rush too quickly with no where to go.   
It was too much for him.   
  
"I'm not going to survive another day like this!" Creao announced, collapsing heavily on the chair.  
"Same here" Majic answered weakly from his place on the bed where he was laying with a wet cloth over his eyes.   
"You guys are making a big deal of this" Orphen told them dryly.   
"Easy for you to say!" they snapped.   
"There's gotta be a way out of this mess!"   
"We could go back to the ruins" Majic suggested helpfully.   
The sorcerer thought it over. Met hostile eyes.   
"Ok ok, we'll go back there" he finally agreed.   
  
Another day stomping in the woods with the sun beating down on them.   
"Finally!" Creao sighed, surveying the ruins.   
She'd dragged them with new-found vigor through trees and bushes till they reached their destination.   
Majic collapsed "No wonder she's always tired. This body is weak!"   
"Hey! Watch how you're treating it! Remember it's mine and I want it all in one piece!" Creao snapped "Now let's go find that thing"   
The others followed her tiredly.   
  
"So how does it work?" Creao wondered looking at the object cause of her recent misfortune.  
Orphen examined it closely, trying to read the writings on it.   
Majic was patiently leaning on the anvil's handle for support. He really was tired.   
Creao reached for the handle on her side without thinking.   
"Hey! Don't touch it! It's mine!" A small form jumped out of nowhere.   
A blinding flash of light. Darkness.   
  
"Ah! It's great to be back in my body!" Creao exclaimed happily dancing around.   
"Wonderful!" Majic agreed "All's well that ends well, right Master?"   
"Oh shut up!" snapped a voice.   
Majic blinked. Met Cleao's eyes. They burst into pearls of laughter.   
"I'm gonna get you for this, you evil-minded devil!" Volcan threatened.   
"Calm down, brother" Dortin tried holding him back, a twinkle in his eyes.   
"Calm down?? Look what he did to me!"   
Orphen counted to ten and stomped his foot. This whole thing was getting out of hand.   
"Knock it off!" he yelled.   
Four sets of startled eyes turned to look down at him.   
Laughter broke.   
Yep, Creao had gotten her wish and something more. Now she could tranquilly beat Orphen to a pulp. Then again it wouldn't take too much to do so, he was so close to the ground now.   
"You're making a big deal out of this!" She fed him back his words.   
Orphen glared up at her from Volcan's short body which barely reached her waist.   
It was going to be a long day. 


End file.
